Dear friends,
Your present and future colleagues need your help.
Since January, 2019 the Guild has been involved in an initiative to improve diversity, equity, and inclusion at the Library, as part of the Diversity Inclusion Working Group (DIWG). This was a group that we, along with our sister unions, lobbied to create—and whose creation was long overdue. The DIWG has now concluded its work under its original mandate. In the same time frame, Library management has collected data and, most recently, issued a “barrier analysis” report for Dr. Hayden, which includes an appendix provided by the DIWG. A Town Hall is planned with Dr. Hayden for May, to discuss diversity, equity, and inclusion at the Library.
We feel this is a moment for some frank conversation, given the trajectory of DIWG, the release of the report, and the upcoming Town Hall meeting.
Management’s barrier analysis report was announced in a recent Gazette article that we’re afraid not many employees saw. The report itself appears on the EEODP staff website: https://staff.loc.gov/sites/eeodp/files/2022/03/LOC-Barrier-Analysis-Report.pdf.
We are writing to you today with four specific asks. We ask that you:
- Read the barrier analysis report and explore the charts presented in it;
- Consider, based on your reading of the report and your own experiences at the Library, providing anonymous feedback to the Office of EEODP using this link:
https://staff.loc.gov/sites/eeodp/barrier-analysis/; - Join us for a Guild Zoom meeting on April 28, 2022 to discuss this report, the trajectory of the DIWG, and the positive and negative implications of both for the Library (details to follow); and,
- Attend and participate in the May Town Hall meeting with Dr. Hayden.
Your voice is needed. This is not merely a conversation about demographics at our institution. This is about opportunities for professional growth and satisfaction for all employees, so that all employees are included in the life of an institution where principles of fairness and equity are actively upheld.
If you have any questions or issues, please reach out to us.
Anne Toohey
Guild President
David Fernández-Barrial
Guild Chief Steward
